Top feed attachments for sewing machines



H. w. RUSSELL ETAL 2,967,498

TOP FEED ATTACHMENTS FOR SEWING MACHINES Jan 10, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 1, 1958 INVENTOR5 Harvey W Kassell EZc/vara Russell ATZORA/EYS Jan. 10, 1961 H. w. RUSSELL ETAL' 2,967,498

TOP FEED ATTACHMENTS FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed May 1, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 .3 jg w INVENTORS 21 Harvey M Russell g BY Ric/Yard Kussel l ATTORNEYS Jan. 10, 1961 H. w. RUSSELL ETAL 2,967,498

TOP FEED ATTACHMENTS FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed May 1, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 1295 F159. 7 Ffq 229.11

F 6 Fi l? (9 kkkkkkkkkkk \kkkkkkkkkkl INVENTORS Harvey 744' Russell Eda/ward Russel Z A T TORNE Y6 2,967,498 Patented Jan. 10, 1961 TOP FEED ATTACHMENTS FOR SEWING MACHINES Harvey W. Russell, Nyack, and Richard Russell, Tappan, N.Y., assignors to Willcox & Gibbs Sewing Machine Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 1, 1958, Ser. No. 732,370

12 Claims. (Cl. 112-207) This invention relates to sewing machine feed mechanisms. More specifically, it pertains to a top feed attachment for use with most standard industrial and domestic sewing machines.

In sewing machines of the conventional type, material is fed beneath the presser foot, into the path of the needle or needles by a reciprocating feed dog, operating through the worktable of the machine and driven in synchronism with the needle assembly. This type of material feed is effective, if not preferred, under most circumstances when feeding plies of soft materials; however, in the sewing of multi-ply fabric, particularly pile fabrics or those of the hard finish variety, serious operational difiiculties have been encountered. It has been found that, in sewing multi-ply pile fabrics or fabrics of satin, nylon or similar material, the layers tend to slip relative one another, producing uneven seams and edges resulting in a poor quality of work.

Slippage between the layers forming the multi-ply fabric, results from the lower layer being positively fed into the path of the needle while the upper layer is retarded by the friction of the presser foot thereon.

This invention overcomes the problems aforenoted and provides a means capable of use in most conventional sewing machines which will enable multi-ply hard finish fabrics to be fed into the path of the needle without slippage between the layers of the fabric.

It is an object of the invention to provide a top feed attachment which may be readily associated with most standard industrial and domestic sewing machines, for cooperating with the bottom reciprocating feed dog thereof to simultaneously positively feed the top and bottom layers of multiply fabrics into the path of the needle thereon.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a top feed attachment for conventional sewing machines which may be readily adjusted, with respect to the length of stroke and position of the top feed dog, whereby the attachment may be utilized in sewing machines having bottom feed mechanisms and presser devices with varying characteristics.

It is another object of the invention to provide a top feed attachment for sewing machines wherein the top feed dog means thereof may be readily adapted for use with presser feet of different configuration accommodating various needle patterns and locations.

It is further an object of the invention to provide a top feed attachment for conventional sewing machines which is adapted to be driven from the main driven shaft of the sewing machine for reciprocation in s'ynchronism with the needle assembly thereof.

It is still further an object of the invention to provide a top feed attachment for sewing machines whichmay be readily manufactured by quantity product'ion methods, is compact and rugged in structure and simple to operate.

With these and other objects in mind, reference is had to the attached sheets of drawings illustrating one form of the invention, wherein like characters represent like type sewing machine having the top feed attachment I mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the top feed attachment positioned relative one form of sewing machine presser foot;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of an overedge sewing machine having the top feed attachment mounted thereon;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of an overedge sewing machine having the top feed attachment mounted thereon;

Fig. 5 is a plan view illustrating one form of presser foot for association with the top feed attachment of the instant invention;

Fig. 6 illustrates diagrammatically the stitch formed in connection with the use of the presser foot of Fig. .5 and its related sewing mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a plan view illustrating another form of presser foot for association with the top feed attachment of the instant invention;

Fig. 8 illustrates the stitch resulting from the use of the presser foot of Fig. 7 and its related sewing mechamsm;

Fig. 9 is a plan view illustrating another form of presser foot for association with the top feed attachment of the instant invention;

Fig. 10 illustrates the stitch resulting from the use of the presser foot of Fig. 9 and its related sewing mecha- Fig. 11 is a plan view illustrating still another form of presser foot for association with the top feed attachment of the instant invention; and

Fig. 12 illustrates diagrammatically the stitch resulting from the use of the presser foot of Fig. 11 and its a associated sewing mechanism.

Broadly, the invention is a top feed means, preferably formed as an attachment, which is readily adapted to be mounted on substantially all conventional sewing machines, to be driven thereby for feeding material into the path of the needle, in synchronism with the bottom feed mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings, and Figs. 1, 3 and 4 portions ofneedle assembly 26, thread handling and control mechanism 27, presser device 28, main drive shaft assembly 29 and bottom feeding mechanism 30 have been illustrated in the drawings.

The main drive shaft 31 for driving the operating elements of the sewing machine 21, is journaled for rota? tion in one side wall 23 of frame 22 and in an appropriately positioned post or similar means (not shown) within the frame, and has a pulley 32 to be driven byany suitable means (not shown). Extending outwardly, of work plate 25 and driven from shaft 31, is the needleassembly 26, which, as shown, carries two needles 33, 34.

The needles are mounted on a needle carrier 35, which is .pivotally supported for arcuate movement in bearings 36 on the underside of the work plate 25 and are reciprocated throughlinkage (not shown) connected tothe main shaft 31. The presser device 28, which includes a l 7 spring carrier-arm 37, removable mounting divers presser feet 38, is supported on Work plate 25 to retain the material being sewn in proper position with respect to needles 33, 34. The bottom feeding mechanism 30, which includes a feed dog 39 (Fig. 1), having serrated teeth, is reciprocated adjacent an opening in work plate 25 by drive shaft 31, through appropriate linkage.

In the operation of overedge sewing machine 21, the material being sewn is gripped by the serrated teeth of bottom feed dog 39, which is reciprocating adjacent an opening in work plate 25, and fed into the path of reciprocating needles 33, 34, which conveniently may be forming a 401 stitch and overedge stitch, respectively, therein. The presser foot 38 frictionally engages the top surface of the material to retain it in sewing position as it crosses the path of the reciprocating needles.

The bottom feed, above described with respect to the sewing operation, is satisfactory when sewing a single layer of material, as in edge binding operations, or when sewing a multi-ply fabric of relatively soft finish material in which there is sufficient friction between the plies to prevent relative shifting of the plies; it is not, however, completely effective as a feed for multi-ply fabrics of hard finish material. With the latter fabrics, the presser foot 38 is able to overcome the feeding friction between the bottom and top layers of material to retard the progress of the latter, relative the former, into the path of the needles, thereby producing a finished product, having uneven seams and edges, of poor quality.

To overcome the problems encountered in feeding multi-ply fabrics of hard finish material, the invention provides a top feed attachment 20, which is adapted to be readily mounted on most conventional sewing machines. It is, of course, understood that the top feed may be built in as a permanent part of a sewing machine, if desired.

The top feed includes an oscillating feed drive shaft 40, which is rotatably mounted by frame 22 of the sewing machine. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the shaft 40 is journaled in depending posts 41, formed integral with an attachment mounting plate 42, removably connected to work plate of machine 21 by bolts or similar means 43. A collar 44 is mounted on shaft 40, outwardly of post 41, on its right end, as viewed in Fig. 4, to retain the shaft against axial displacement to the left. An arcuate oscillation lever 45 is connected to shaft 40, outwardly of collar 44, by a nut 46, which engages threads on the end of the shaft. The lever, which acts to oscillate shaft 40 is connected through linkage 47 to an eccentric assembly 48 mounted for rotation with main drive shaft 31. The eccentric assembly 48 includes a collar 49 mounted on main drive shaft 31, outwardly of pulley 32, for rotation therewith. The collar is retained against movement with respect to the drive shaft by means of a set screw 50. A stud 51 is mounted by collar 49 for radial displacement thereon and is engaged by a screw 52 threadingly carried by a bracket 53. In this manner the degree of eccentricity of the assembly may be adjusted, as will hereinafter be more fully explained. Linkage 47, which includes tie rods 54 and 5S rotatably engages stud 51. The tie rods are connected by a threaded member 56 in such a manner that the linkage may be lengthened or shortened as desired to properly locate the operative position of the feed dog. A sleeve 57, having a channel adapted to slidably receive lever 45 is pivotally connected to linkage 47 at the end directed away from eccentric 48, as at 57a. Means in the form of a set screw 58 are provided in association with sleeve 57 to retain the sleeve against displacement with respect to lever 45.

An arm 59, including an integrally formed sleeve 60 is carried by oscillating shaft 40, at the end directed away from lever 45, for oscillation therewith. The arm is secured against displacement with respect to the shaft by set screw 61 or in any other known manner. A hood 4 62 is slidably mounted on arm 59 and retained in position with respect thereto by screw 63. The hood slidably carries at its opposite end a short arm 64 which is re tained in adjusted position by means of screw 65. A rod 66, which rotatably carries a feed dog carrier support 67 extends through short arm 64, wherein it is retained against displacement with respect to the arm by a nut 68 which engages threads thereon. The portion of rod 66 which extends outwardly of nut 68 carries a spring 69 and a spring retaining collar 70. A substantially L-shaped member 71 carried by support 67 is engaged by an extension of spring 69 as at 72, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained. Support 67 has removably secured thereto, as by screws 73 a feed dog carrier arm 74 which in turn removably mounts a top feed dog 75.

In the operation of the top feed attachment, above described, the shaft 40 is oscillated about its axis, in posts 41, by lever 45 which is connected to the main drive shaft of the sewing machine, through linkage 47 and eccentric 43. The oscillation of the shaft is transmitted through arm 59, which is rigidly connected thereto, to support 67, carrier 74, and an elongate top feed dog 75. The top feed dog may conveniently be formed with a serrated edge forming teeth. The teeth, as shown, have a relatively perpendicular feed face which engages the material being sewn, adjacent hte presser foot of the sewing machine, on the forward stroke of the dog, thereby feeding the material into the path of the needles and have a rearwardly inclined face adapted to ride over the fabric on the return or rearward stroke of the dog. The feed dog is pressed into engagement with the material by spring 69, which forces L-shaped member 71 upwardly, to pivot support 67 in a counterclockwise direction around rod 66. On pivoting support 67, carrier 74 and feed dog 75 are similarly moved counterclockwise with respect to rod 66 thereby pressing the feed dog into engagement with the material. By means of this structure, the feed dog is pressed into engagement with the material being sewn in all positions of arm 59.

The top feed attachment is adapted to be readily adjusted to obtain the desired position of the feed dog, relative to the presser foot of the sewing machine, and to adjust the length of the reciprocating stroke thereof. The position of the feed dog, in relation to the presser foot, is controlled by adjusting the length of the linkage section which includes tie rods 54 and 55. This adjustment, it will be understood, is made through threaded member 56. The throw or length of the reciprocating stroke of the top feed attachment is directly related to the length of lever arm 45 as defined between nut 46 and sleeve 57. If set screw 58 is loosened and sleeve 57 is moved toward nut 46 to shorten the effective length of lever arm 45, the stroke of the top feed will be relatively shorter. Likewise, if the sleeve is moved away from nut 46 to increase the effective length of lever arm 45, the stroke will be relatively longer. Fine adjustment in the length of stroke is achieved by shifting eccentric stud 51 with respect to collar 49 to increase or decrease the eccentricity relative to the main drive shaft of the sewing machine. As aforenoted, the stud is shifted with respect to the collar by means of screw 52 which engages the stud and is mounted in bracket 53 on the collar.

Additional adjustment of the top feed attachment may be achieved by slidably repositioning hood 62 with respect to arm 59 or short arm 64. The pressure that feed dog 75 exerts on the material may be controlled by increasing or decreasing the tension of spring 69. The latter is accomplished by rotating spring retaining collar 70 with respect to rod 66. It will be noted, that collar 70 is locked in position with respect to rod 66 by means of set screw 70a.

The top feed attachment, as described and illustrated, is provided with one feed dog 75. It should at this point be noted that a plurality of feed dogs or feed dogs of different conformation may be associated with the top feed mechanism 20. Feed dog 75 'is readily removed from carrier 74, by disengaging screw 74a therefrom for the substitution of a differently formed feed dog and the carrier itself may be removed from support 67 for the substitution of a carrier adapted to mount a plurality of feed dogs. The use of a differently shaped feed dog or a plurality of feed dogs is dependent upon the type of sewing machine presser foot the top feed must cooperate with and on the type of stitch being made. Referring now to Figs. 5 through 12, various presser feet and stitches are illustrated. In Fig. 5 a presser foot 38a is shown which is adapted for use on a double needle machine which may conveniently produce the 401 stitch indicated at 76 and the overedge stitch indicated at 77 in Fig. 6. With this type of presser foot, the feed dog of the top feed attachment must be adapted to engage the material through a slot 78 formed to the left of both needles 33, 34, as seen in the drawings. In Fig. 7 a double needle presser foot 38b is shown'which may be utilized on a machine producing the widely spaced 401 stitch 76a and the overedge stitch 77a shown in Fig. 8. With this presser foot the feed dog of the top feed attachment should be adapted to ride in the slot 78a between the needles 33, 34. In Fig. 9 a single needle presser foot 380 is shown for use on a machine producing the single overedge stitch 7712 (Fig. 10). The feed dog cooperating with this presser foot must be adapted to ride in slot 78b which is spaced to the left of the single needle 34. In Fig. 11 a double needle, double feed dog presser foot 38d is illustrated which is adapted for use on a machine producing the 401 stitch 76b and the overedge stitch 77c, illustrated in Fig. 12. In this case, double feed dogs are required to facilitate the stitching of bulky or otherwise difiicult to handle material and must be adapted to ride in slots 79, 80. The double feed dogs may be provided on top feed attachment 21 by changing carrier 74 for an appropriate double feed dog carrier.

Thus, among others, the several objects of the inven- .tion as aforenoted are achieved. Obviously, numerous changes in the structure may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims.

We claim:

1. A top feed attachment for sewing machines having a frame providing a housing having a main drive shaft extending outwardly therefrom; said attachment comprising an oscillating feed drive shaft, means for romovably rotatably mounting said feed shaft on the frame of a sewing machine outwardly of said housing, a feed dog, means carried by said shaft for suporting said feed dog in position to engage the top surface of the material being sewn, said means being adapted to oscillate with said shaft, means adapted to be removably mounted on the main drive shaft of a sewing machine outwardly of said housing for rotation therewith, said means being eccentric with respect to said main drive shaft, means for oscillating said top feed drive shaft and means for connecting said oscillating means to said eccentric, whereby the former is driven by the main drive shaft of the sewing machine to oscillate said feed drive shaft.

2. A top feed attachment for sewing machines having a frame providing a housing and having a main drive shaft extending outwardly therefrom; said attachment comprising an oscillating feed shaft, means for removably mounting said feed shaft externally of said sewing machine housing, an arm secured to said feed shaft for oscillation therewith, material engaging means, means connected to said arm for supporting said engaging means for reciprocation adjacent the presser foot of a sewing machine, a lever connected to said feed shaft, an eccentric adapted to be removably connected to the main drive shaft of a sewing machine outwardly of said housing to be driven thereby and means operably connecting said eccentric and said lever for oscillating said shaft.

6 :3. A top feed attachment for sewing machines having a frame providing a housing and'a main-drive shaft extending outwardly therefrom; said attachment comprising an oscillating feed shaft, means for removably-mounting said feed shaft externally of said sewing machine frame, an armsecured to said feed shaft for oscillation therewith, atleast one top feed dog operably connected to said arm' and adapted to be reciprocated adjacent the presser foot of a sewing machine in position to engage the top surface of the material being sewn, a lever connected to said feed shaft, an eccentric adapted to be con nected to the main drive shaft of a sewing machine outwardly of said housing to be driven thereby and means operably connecting said eccentric and said lever for reciprocating the latter tooscillate said feed shaft.

4. A top feed attachment for sewing machines including a closed housing and a main drive shaft extending outwardly of said housing; said attachment comprising an oscillating feed shaft, means for removably mounting said feed shaft externally of said housing, an arm secured to said feed shaft for oscillation therewith, a top feed dog, means connected to said arm and adapted to support said feed 'dog for reciprocation adjacent the presser foot of a sewing machine in position to engage the top surface of the material being sewn, a lever connected to said feed shaft, an eccentric adapted to be removably connected to the main drive shaft of a sewing machine outwardly of said housing to be driven thereby and means operably connecting said eccentric and said lever for reciprocating the latter to oscillate said feed shaft.

5. A top feed attachment for sewing machines including a frame providing a closed housing and a main drive shaft extending outwardly of said housing; said attachment comprising an oscillating feed shaft, means for removably mounting said feed shaft externally of said housing, an arm secured to said feed shaft for oscillation therewith, a top feed dog, means connected to said arm and adapted to support said feed dog for reciprocation adjacent the presser foot of'a sewing machine in position to engage the top' surface of the material being sewn, means for pressing said feed dog into engagement with the material being sewn in all positions of said arm, a lever connected to said feed shaft, an eccentric adapted to be connected to the main drive shaft of'a sewing machine outwardly of said housing to be driven thereby and' means removably operably connecting said eccentric and said lever for reciprocating the latter to oscillate said feed shaft.

6. A top feed attachment for sewing machines including a frame providing a housing and a main drive shaft extending outwardly of said housing; said attachment comprising an oscillating feed shaft, means for removably mounting said feed shaft externally of said housing, an arm secured to said feed shaft for oscillation therewith, a top feed dog, a carrier connected to said arm and adapted to support said feed dog for reciprocation adj cent the presser foot of a sewing machine in position to engage the top surface of the material being sewn, spring means mounted by said arm and acting on said carrier to press said feed dog into engagement with the material being sewn in all positions of said arm, a lever connected to said feed shaft, an eccentric adapted to be removably connected to the main drive shaft of a sewing machine outwardly of said housing to be driven thereby and means rotatably connected to said eccentric and connected to said lever for reciprocating the latter to oscillate said feed shaft.

7. A top feed attachment for sewing machines in cluding a closed housing providing a workplate and a main drive shaft extending outwardly of said housing; said attachment comprising an oscillating feed shaft, means for removably mounting said feed shaft below said workplate and externally of said housing, an arm secured to said shaft for oscillation therewith, a top feed dog operably connected to said arm and adapted to be reciprocated adjacent the presser foot of a sewing machine in position to engage the top surface .of the material being sewn, a lever connected to said feed shaft, an eccentric adapted to be removably connected to the main drive shaft of a sewing machine externally of said housing to be driven thereby, means operably connecting said eccentric and said lever for reciprocating the latter to oscillate said feed shaft and means for adjusting the length of the stroke of said reciprocating feed dog.

8. A top feed attachment for sewing machines having a housing providing a workplate and a main drive shaft extending outwardly of the housing; said attachment comprising a mounting member removably connected tosaid workplate externally of said housing, an oscillating feed shaft rotatably carried by said mounting member, an arm secured to said shaft for oscillation therewith, a top feed dog operably connected to said arm and adapted to be reciprocated adjacent the presser foot of a sewing machine in position to engage the top surface of the material being sewn, an arcuate lever connected to said feed shaft, an eccentric adapted to be connected to the main drive shaft of a sewing machine outwardly of said housing to be driven thereby, means operably connecting said eccentric and said lever for reciprocating the latter to oscillate said feed shaft and means for adjusting the effective length of said arcuate lever, whereby the length of the stroke of the reciprocating feed dog is adjusted.

9. A top feed attachment for sewing machines having a frame providing a housing and a main drive shaft extending outwardly of said housing; said attachment comprising an oscillating feed shaft, means for removably mounting said feed shaft externally of said housing, an arm secured to said shaft for oscillation therewith, a top feed dog operably connected to said arm and adapted to be reciprocated adjacent the presser foot of a sewing machine in position to engage the top surface of the material being sewn, an arcuate lever connected to said feed shaft, an eccentric adapted to be connected to the main drive shaft of a sewing machine outwardly of said housing to be driven thereby and means operably connecting said eccentric and said lever for reciprocating the latter to oscillate said feed shaft, said means being slidably connected to said lever for adjusting the effective length thereof, whereby the length of the stroke of the reciprocating feed dog is adjused.

10. A top feed attachment for sewing machines having a housing and a main drive shaft extending outwardly of the housing; said attachment comprising an oscillating feed shaft, means for removably mounting said feed shaft externally of said housing, an arm secured to said shaft for oscillation therewith, a top feed dog operably connected to said arm and adapted to be reciprocated adjacent the presser foot of a sewing machine in position to engage the top surface of the material being sewn, a lever connected to said feed shaft, an eccentric adapted to be connected to the main drive shaft of a sewing machine outwardly of said housing to be driven thereby, means operably connecting said eccentric and said lever for reciprocating the latter to oscillate said feed shaft and means for adjusting the position of said reciprocating feed dog relative to the presser foot of a sewing machine.

11. A top feed attachment for sewing machines having a housing providing a workplate and a main drive shaft extending outwardly of the housing; said attachment comprising an oscillating feed shaft; means for removably rotatably mounting said feed shaft on the housing externally thereof and below said work plate; an arm secured to said feed shaft for oscillation therewith and extending above said work plate; an elongate top feed dog; a carrier connected to said arm and adapted to support said feed dog for reciprocation adjacent the presser foot of a sewing machine in position to engage the top surface of the material being sewn; spring means mounted by said arm for acting on said carrier to press said feed dog into engagement with the material being sewn in all positions of said arm; a lever connected to said feed shaft; an eccentric adapted to be connected to the main drive shaft of a sewing machine outwardly of said housing to be driven thereby; means operably connected to said eccentric and said lever for reciprocating the latter to oscillate said feed shaft, said means being slidably connected to said lever for adjusting the effective length thereof so that the length of the stroke of the reciprocating feed dog is adjusted; and means for adjusting the position of said reciprocating feed dog relative to the presser foot of a sewing machine.

12. In a sewing machine including a frame providing a housing having a workplate thereon, a main drive shaft disposed within said housing and extending outwardly thereof, a needle operating mechanism, a bottom material feeding mechanism and a presser foot device; a top feed mechanism comprising an oscillating feed shaft removably mounted externally of said housing below said workplate, an arm secured to said feed shaft for oscillation therewith, at least one top feed dog operably connected to said arm and adapted to be reciprocated adjacent said presser foot in synchronism with said bottom feed mechanism, said feed dog being adapted to engage the top surface of the material being sewn, a lever connected to said feed shaft, an eccentric mounted outwardly of said housing by said main drive shaft to be driven thereby and means operably connected to said eccentric to oscillate said feed shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,243,160 Grieb Oct. 16, 1917 1,414,591 Seymour May 2, 1922 2,157,373 Weis May 9, 1939 2,262,547 Galkin Nov. 11, 1941 2,470,759 Clayton May 24, 1949 2,549,057 Chinnici Apr. 17, 1951 2,771,848 Knaus Nov. 27, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,527 Great Britain June 20, 1864 25,268 Germany Dec. 17, 1883 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATION OF CORRECTION Patent Noa 2967, 198 January 10 1961 Harvey Wm Russell et a1,

It is Hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 1, line 64, for "driven" second occurrence, read drive column 4, line 26, for "hte" read the column 5, line 51 for "-suporting" read supporting column 7, line 46, for "adjused"r-ead adjusted -=-D Signed and sealed this 18th day of June 1961.

(SEAL) Attest:

DAVID L. LADD ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

